This 2023 Shohei Ohtani Blockbuster Trade Would Have Changed MLB Forever

This would still be impacting the league today

May 17, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) looks on during the second inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | William Liang-Imagn Images

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal recently reported on a jaw-dropping 2023 trade deadline deal involving four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani.

The Los Angeles Angels and Tampa Bay Rays discussed a trade at the 2023 deadline that would have sent Ohtani to the Rays in exchange for a haul of young players headlined by Tampa Bay third baseman Junior Caminero and top shortstop prospect Carson Williams, according to Rosenthal. The Rays reportedly would have needed to include additional "lesser pieces" as well to get this deal across the finish line. In the end, though, Angels owner Arte Moreno did not trade Ohtani, and the rest is history.

While this reported deal between the Angels and Rays most likely wouldn't have changed where Ohtani ended up signing in free agency after the 2023 season, it could have significantly altered the current trajectory of both franchises.

Where would the Rays and Angels be right now if the 2023 Shohei Ohtani trade actually happened?

May 18, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero (13) reacts after scoring a run against the Baltimore Orioles in the fourth inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Even without the reported Ohtani trade coming to fruition, the Rays and Angels are seemingly heading in opposite directions right now. Tampa Bay enters Thursday's action in first place in the American League East at 33-15, while the Angels have the MLB's worst record at 17-33. If the 2023 Ohtani deal went through, though, it's no exaggeration to say that today's standings could look drastically different as a result.

At the time, Caminero was a young prospect who hit .324 with 31 home runs in 117 games across two minor league levels in 2023. As baseball fans now know, the righty-swinging slugger went on to launch 45 homers in his first full season in the majors last year. But if the Angels agreed to trade Ohtani to the Rays in 2023, Caminero's incredible 2025 season could have been with Los Angeles instead of Tampa.

While Ohtani ended up suffering elbow and oblique injuries at the end of 2023, it's also interesting to think about what he could have done for the Rays as a three-month rental that year. Tampa Bay finished the 2023 season with a 99-63 record and lost in the first round of the playoffs to the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers. But a healthy Ohtani could have left his mark on the Rays forever if he produced a legendary playoff run that culminated in Tampa Bay's first championship—at the cost of the Rays' current face of the franchise.